Flashback: The Tribune reported about this “newest wrinkle in housing,” its name a combo of garage

In the years shortly after World War I, Chicago faced a severe housing shortage, which in turn led to sky-high rents. The problem was so acute that residents threatened rent strikes, and activists called on city and state officials to pass laws to "curb profiteers" and regulate rents.

Into the breach stepped a developer named Richard Cramer and his ingenious solution: the garlow. Flashback reader Brian Weaver, of Orland Park, wrote to suggest officials give Cramer's idea another chance given today's housing situation.

On Oct. 23, 1921, the Tribune reported about this "newest wrinkle in housing," its name a portmanteau of garage and bungalow. The garlow was a 4-5 room, 20-foot-by-25-foot brick house built on the back of a standard city lot. It wasn't a shack, but rather a comfortable home with hardwood floors, plumbing and "indirect lighting" — "all the comforts," the Tribune reported. It could be built quickly and cheaply, just $3,400 (that's $45,000 in 2014 money, or again in today's values, $464 a month after a $5,300 down payment). And the lot was included.

Young owners could buy a lot, erect and live in a garlow and, when they were ready, they could build their bungalow on the front of the lot. The garlow was designed so they could easily convert it into a garage. A metal beam crossed the back wall, below which the bricks were built into a panel for easy removal. Voila, the opening for a garage door. The garlow's flooring and fixtures could be reused in the new, bigger bungalow.

But the garlow never caught on, possibly because the bungalow itself became so popular. After the story in October and a follow-up article in December about another 25 garlows being proposed, the word doesn't appear in the pages of the Tribune until 1998.

If you're interested in seeing some, a few garlows remain in the Chatham neighborhood, on the 8100 block of South Calumet Avenue and the 8000 and 8100 blocks of King Drive. (You can also view them using Google Maps' Street View.)